Natural Talents
by Joan Powers
Summary: How did Eden Advance find food “After the Thaw”? DD


17

Natural Talents

by Joan Powers

**A/N** This is a repost of a story originally written in 1996.

As I watched "After the Thaw", in the opening narration I was struck by the desperation of their situation. It seemed a vital issue that their food supply would run out in two weeks and they were going to be in trouble. They didn't seem quite as frantic about this issue in the next episodes. This story takes place immediately after "After the Thaw" and attempts to bridge some of the gaps.

**Type:** Drama, D/D angst

**Summary:** How did Eden Advance find food "After the Thaw"?

**Timeline:** following "After the Thaw"

**Rating:** K+

(voice of Morgan)

Day 112 _I was awake at five o'clock that morning because of the rumbling in my gut. I was so uncomfortable I couldn't even stay asleep. Our food situation had not improved over the last few days. We had cut down to half rations over a week ago and were still searching for edible vegetation or game to supplement our meager resources. _

_But Christ, it was winter - it was still freezing. What living things did we expect to find? On the stations, your only limitation in obtaining food was the number of credits in your account. Of course only the rich could afford certain delicacies such as authentic steak imported from Earth, but the average person could at least count on fresh fruit and vegetables along with some decent synthetic substitutes, which had some flavor and provided variety. _

_They say that variety is the spice of life. I sorely missed it. I was sick of our dreary existence - surviving on freeze-dried semolina and pemmican and our watered-down versions of oatmeal and vegetable soup. I wasn't cut out for pioneer resourcefulness. Even though Dr. Heller had been dutifully monitoring our health and synthesizing supplemental vitamin and mineral tablets, I felt ill. I didn't think I could handle much more. _

_Others were beginning to lose hope as well, becoming irritable and starting to bicker amongst themselves, while some even went so far as to insinuate that our leaders were responsible for our current dilemma. We had ceased to remind ourselves of the wonder and beauty of the planet and appreciate all that it had provided us._

XXXXXX

John Danziger tossed in his bunk, the first light of day creeping into his room. He pulled the blankets closer to himself to attempt to retain his body heat. Would it ever get warm? Life in the Quad hadn't been luxurious but it certainly had provided more creature comforts. His stomach growled, a not so subtle reminder of their half-ration situation, and a dull throbbing filled his head, a result from his encounter with Alonzo the night before. He raised his hands to massage his temples in a feeble attempt to block out the pain.

He flushed with embarrassment as he recalled what the others had told him about his behavior while the creature was within him. Danziger despised being in situations where he could not assume control of his own actions. He shuddered at the thought that an alien had dwelled within his body.

The Eden colonists seemed reluctant to share a complete accounting of those events with him - that was okay. He didn't want to know. He did remember that he was the one who had tampered with the heating system of the Dome and that its prompt repair was a screaming priority.

Yet, as Danziger's stomach continued to growl, he pushed the generator down to number two. It was early, but there was much to be done.

He rose from his bed quietly so as not to disturb True and gathered his outdoor clothing. He glanced at his daughter who lay fast asleep with her mouth slightly ajar. Danziger adjusted her covers, pulling them up to her chin, and then left the room.

Lack of food and the dull pounding in his temples added to Danziger's irritable morning mood. Rather than wait another hour for the others to assemble, he decided he would explore a new area by himself. He wanted to be alone. He entered into the Main Dome to get some of what they called coffee (actually one of Bess's experimental native brews) and his breakfast rations. He stopped in surprise when he saw Devon sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.

Slightly startled, she responded "Good morning." Devon, by nature, was an early riser and was used to having this time for herself.

Danziger mumbled, "Yeah...right." He poured a cup of coffee, grabbed his share of breakfast and deliberately sat down at the other end of the table. _Just leave me alone Adair_. He wasn't in the mood to deal with people. It took too much energy.

Sensing John's irritation, Devon cleared her throat and tentatively asked "Going to check out sector 14?"

"Uh-huh" he indicated without looking at her.

"I'm going with you" she insisted.

John rolled his eyes. Remembering that it was pointless to argue with Devon Adair once her mind was made up, he countered, "Just make sure you can keep up with me."

They finished their meager rations in silence, then bundled up for their trip.

The sky was blue - completely devoid of clouds, and the frigid air was crisp. Icicles, which dangled from tree branches, sparkled as the morning sunbeams filtered through them. A light dusting of snow, which had fallen the night before, covered the land - adding a mystical quality to the area.

A few weeks earlier, Devon and John would have paused to admire the beauty of the landscape and hesitated momentarily before marring the untouched snow with their boot prints. However, on this day they were both so preoccupied with their thoughts that they neglected to take notice. Since the terrain would be hilly in sector 14, they had decided to hike out the entire way, leaving the vehicles for Eden crew members to investigate other distant areas. Snow crunched beneath their boots as they trudged along.

Devon prayed that at least one of the search parties would be successful today. She hated to admit it, but she was worried. They had supplies for less than two weeks at best, using half rations. Period. And Yale was predicting a long winter. She sighed, her breath fogging up before her.

They had attacked the problem logically, mapping out the surrounding area and assigning teams to forage for berries, stalks, roots or any signs of animal life, including Grendlers - which they hoped to track to their lairs. Unfortunately, those searches of nearby sectors had not been successful, so they were forced to fan out and broaden their perimeter.

At a camp meeting, Alonzo had discussed the possibility of using the spider cave tunnels to travel back to the warmer coastal region to bring back supplies, arguing that they would have a better probability of locating food sources in a warmer environment. He reminded them that there was food there for the Grendler had carried fresh fruit with him.

While his idea had merits, Devon was concerned that the tunnels were just too unstable -- look at what almost happened to John. The risk of injury or loss of group members was much too high to consider pursuing such an option.

Morgan attempted to talk Devon into sacrificing the colony grain stock - which she adamantly refused. After their experience with the looting of their first cargo pod, they had no guarantee of finding any of their other supplies, a thought that had kept Devon awake many a night. That stock was a symbol of the future of New Pacifica until the colony ship arrived. Besides, she wouldn't admit that their situation was that desperate. Not yet. She was stubborn and determined. She would walk all day and night to find food, if she had to.

She paused briefly to catch her breath. Despite the cool temperature, she felt uncomfortably warm and her body ached. While she had been insistent that Dr. Heller closely monitor the health of the Eden crewmembers during this crisis, she herself had been lax and not reported for check ups. _It must be due to our unusual diet_, she rationalized. She cursed herself for not asking the Elder about food sources last night, but she had been occupied with other matters.

Thank God she hadn't had to shoot John and he wasn't injured during his unusual experience. She supposed they could go back to the Elder with their tails between their legs, asking for more help, but that went against her nature. The Eden crew was tough and resourceful. They would figure this out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Danziger looked over his shoulder to check on Devon, but she was out of his view. _Great, we're gonna get a lot done today_.

"Hey Adair, come on."

Within a minute she appeared, slightly breathless, "I'm here. Let's keep moving." She continued walking, so he joined her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Even though she had been on this planet for one hundred and twelve days, Devon was still not used to not being in complete control. On the stations, her position in her family, her wealth, and her career had secured her almost everything that she had ever wanted. Yet, she reminded herself that her power was only an illusion for it did nothing to save her son's life. Regardless of the hardships they had endured, she was still grateful that her son had lived to celebrate his 9th birthday, something no other Syndrome child had ever done. Yes, it was worth it.

But while Devon had never dodged the mantle of leadership, the degenerating attitudes of some of the colonists were beginning to frighten her. She was glad she was here with Danziger. Despite their differences, she was confident he would give everything he could and more to help the group. Just like she would. She knew she could depend on him and maybe...she stopped herself from continuing that thought. She was responsible for the well being of Uly , the entire Eden Advance group, and those on the Colony ship as well as. She couldn't allow herself to consider anything else at this point.

She paused as a queasy feeling overcame her. She clamped her mouth shut and swallowed hard, closing her eyes while trying to make it go away by refusing to give in to it. Finally it subsided, so she hurried to catch up with Danziger. She wasn't about to acknowledge to him that she felt poorly, she'd never hear the end of it. Armed with her pride, she took larger steps to close the gap between them.

XXXXXX

Bess stormed into her tent, "Morgan, you're supposed to be helping me. What are you doing?" Her husband was still lying in their bed, buried underneath the blankets.

"Bess, honey.. I don't feel well."

"Morgan, I have news for you. Nobody here feels well. And we're not going to feel any better until we find other food sources" she glared at him. "If you won't help me with cooking duty, you could at least assist with one of the search parties. Morgan, we all have to do our part." He stared at her, not moving. She sat on the edge of the cot.

He reached out for her hand and tried explaining, "Honey, I'm sorry. I'm not cut out for this. I've lived all my life in a space station, I have no skills to cope with this environment." He glanced to her eyes to see if she was opening up any.

"Those are just excuses. Most of the others lived on the Stations as well and they're not hiding in bed" she claimed.

He continued, "I can't tell you how much I admire you, how well you adapt to change. I'm just not used to all this. You've got to believe me..I'm trying. I really am. What do you want me to do?" he pleaded with her.

Her expression began to soften, after all this was the man she loved, "Morgan, I believe each and every one of us has unique talents which they can contribute to solve this problem. Why don't you look into your heart and determine what yours are?"

"What do you think they are? You're my wife, you're supposed to help me" he prompted.

"I can't answer that for you honey, but I do know that they are there" she smiled at him. After kissing his forehead, she left Morgan to contemplate his next course of action.

XXXXXXXXXXX

As he hiked, Danziger was musing about the food situation, racking his brains for some option they might not have considered. He was hopeful this hilly terrain might have some caves where animals might be hiding or which would provide sufficient shelter to foster the growth of some living creature. As he walked, he periodically stopped to examine some plant or moss.

He thought he saw a cave opening so he turned about to call to Devon, "Hey Adair - come check this out." She had lagged behind again. He waited impatiently. _What is the problem?_ After several minutes had passed, he saw her auburn hair crest the top of the hill.

"About time Adair. What's with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine" she mumbled as she approached.

"If you can't keep up, why don't you go back to camp. I can cover more territory without you."

She stubbornly refused, "I want to find something just as badly as you do. And you shouldn't be out here alone."

She was breathing heavily. She placed her hand on a nearby tree to steady herself as she caught her breath. She had already lost her breakfast and she hoped that would be the end of this sickness so they could accomplish their mission. Danziger noticed her face was pale and sweaty, but decided Devon was old enough to take care of herself. He motioned to the cave entrance.

She smiled with anticipation - "Let's go." There was some disagreement about who would enter the dark cave first, but once that was settled they proceeded to investigate.

XXXXXXXX

Dr. Heller was overwhelmed with work. Between diagnosing the myriad complaints of the slightly malnourished Eden crewmembers, she was synthesizing vitamin and mineral supplements along with proteins to augment their diet. She was also testing multiple samples of native plant life to determine if they were edible. Samples previously deemed unthinkable to consider were suddenly becoming very interesting to the colonists who demanded test results as soon as possible. Even Morgan had brought by some type of bizarre fungus, claiming it had been considered a delicacy on Earth.

So it was no surprise when Julia yelled at Alonzo for some inconsequential event - stepping on her foot. "Alonzo, go away. Leave me alone" she cried.

He gave her a look of annoyance. "I didn't do it on purpose. Why are you being so sensitive?"

Julia explained, "Look, I feel lousy. I was scared to death that I was going to lose you yesterday and that took a lot out of me. I've been working so hard. I'm tired and I need a break but I can't afford to take one." She sank down on to her cot and buried her head in her hands. It had been difficult for her to admit all that to him.

Alonzo recognized that Julia was stressed out so he attempted to comfort her, "Just do what you can. No one expects you to do everything." She glared at him as if he were being stupid. He shrugged and decided to give her some space. "You know I'm always here for you. Baines, Magus and I are driving out to sector 16. Wish us luck."

XXXXXXX

Bess was working on cooking duty. Not that there was much to select from. In addition to their freeze-dried stocks of semolina and pemmican, they had available a few vegetables and herbs from Mary's Garden and synthesized protein concentrate, which didn't taste like much of anything. Luckily, Bess had a talent of being able to use the right mix of native herbs and spices to give some sort of flavor to their "vegetable" broth.

As she chopped up her soup ingredients into tiny pieces, she was reminded of similar circumstances on Earth during lean times. "Stone soup" parties, they were called. Each participant brought his own ingredient to add to the brew. Her mother had taught her all about herbs and spices.

Bess was very fond of her mother and strove to be like her. Everyone had loved her mother, who was kind and generous to everyone. Almost to a fault, for Bess's father claimed that was what killed her. She sacrificed too much for others and risked her own health. She died when Bess was 13 years old. Bess was certain that her mother would not have been pleased with her at this moment because of the way she had treated her husband this morning.

Bess knew Morgan had only lived on the Stations and was not familiar with the struggles of living on any type of planet. Yet she wished he wouldn't whine so much. She figured their odd diet was contributing to her critical mood. She felt that Morgan had needed a firm nudge to motivate him and she was confident that he would find his own way to help out in this crisis.

She had never imagined that she would have married a man like Morgan. Until she had met him, she was convinced that she would be stuck marrying a miner, primarily serve him, produce his children and probably die young. Life had provided her with opportunities that she had never dreamed of. Not only was Morgan a loving man who appreciated her as a person, but as an added bonus he was a government worker who lived on the Stations. And then to have the opportunity to live on such a lush planet as G889. She reminded herself to count her blessings.

XXXXXXXX

Devon and John were disappointed, the cave was bare except for some tattered cloth, which was possibly left by some penal colonist or Grendler. John strode ahead, impatient to continue. Unfortunately, instead of improving, as time passed by Devon was feeling much worse. As the leader of their group, she felt obligated to continue, but her body was refusing to listen to her anymore. Waves of nausea engulfed her and she swallowed hard, struggling to repress them.

John glanced back, "You coming?"

She was leaning against a rock, almost doubled over. She couldn't respond. Realizing something was wrong, he walked back to her,

"What's going on?"

She bolted to heave the contents of her empty stomach in another direction.

John immediately suspected what had caused Devon to be this ill,

"You've been giving part of your rations to Uly, haven't you?"

She didn't answer - she couldn't at that particular moment. Of course John had been doing the same thing, giving True part of his but he knew better than to cut it too steep.

"You're not any help to him or the group if you don't take care of yourself" he lectured.

Devon lashed out, "What do you know about it? Your kid was never sick. You never had to watch her suffer for eight years with a death sentence over her head. I have not come this far to lose him now."

"You're right" Danziger quickly interrupted before she could continue. "Let's get you back to camp". He put on his gear and attempted to raise someone. All he got was static. This was all he needed.

Devon was rapidly losing energy and sank down onto the snow-covered ground. "Just leave me. I'll be okay." She was mortified that he had seen her in this condition and since they had already traveled so far it was imperative that at least one of them complete their mission. Each day counted.

Danziger refused to argue with her. He was aggravated but he couldn't leave her there. He placed his arm about her shoulder, "Come on. Can you walk?"

"I'll try." Leaning heavily on John, Devon struggled to make her feet work. _Let it never be said that Devon Adair had to be rescued,_ her mind argued. But her legs refused to cooperate, so John had to carry her.

XXXXXXXX

Morgan was sitting up, still in his bed. Underneath the covers it was warmer and more conducive to thinking about things other than freezing to death. Talents, what were his talents? He loved VR, but he didn't think that counted. His job had involved occasional schmoozing with diplomats and filling out a lot of paper work.

_Don't see either of those here_.

He knew how to play the stock market and invest in companies. Another zero. He loved music and kinda knew how to play the drums.

_There's got to be more. If Bess sees it, it must be there_.

He thought about his sojourn here on the planet, which had started with him panicking and releasing the escape capsule too soon. He became dejected, _There's no hope for me_.

Yet, he had been able to trade with that Grendler to get saliva to cure Danziger and Baines. Though he hadn't seen any Grendlers around lately. He was pretty good at breaking codes.

Wait a minute, he knew electronics. He had used that knowledge to track Dell's signal. Was there any way that this technical know-how could help them find food?

He jumped out of bed. He had an idea to try.

XXXXXXXXXX

Danziger was leaning against a large rock, trying to rest while still balancing Devon in his now aching arms. She was feverish and no longer fully cognizant of what was going on around her. He had finally been able to use his gear to contact Yale who was driving out to meet them.

"You okay, Adair?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled.

He could wring her neck for pulling a stunt like this, which could have endangered their lives. Yet, he also understood her determination and somewhat admired her over zealous dedication to the needs of the group over her own. Yale pulled up in the Trans-Rover and hurried over to them,

"Come on. Let's get her back to camp."

"You go without me. I don't want to waste any more time. Day light is short" Danziger explained.

Yale disagreed, "It would be foolish for you to go that far by yourself, especially when you know your gear signal can't get through. You're also tired from carrying Devon. I'm going to have to insist that you return with me."

Since Yale spoke with such authority and there was a grain of truth to what he was saying, John reluctantly agreed to return with them on the condition that some other crewmembers drive out and continue their mission.

XXXXXXXXX

Yale was exploring an area nearby camp with the children. He had left Devon in Dr. Heller's capable hands. Julia seemed confident that all she needed was some food and rest.

Uly asked Yale, "What kind of stuff are we looking for?" The children had wanted to help out with the search for food.

"Berries, plants or animals. Even animal tracks" the Teacher explained.

"Is this how people on Earth find food?" True wondered.

"That's silly. They have food distributors just like we did on the Stations" Uly taunted.

True turned toward Yale, "I mean, the people who live off the land."

"True, it depends on the region. Many areas of Earth are too hot for this type of plant and animal life" Yale explained. He had taught the children about the irreparable damage their ancestors had done to Earth's ozone layer. As a result, the median temperature rose and selected for hardier life forms. In fact, due to the acidity of the rain and high levels of pollutants in the atmosphere, it became difficult to raise crops using traditional methods. Thus climate controllable Bio-Spheres and the science of hydroponics had evolved out of necessity.

Yale was interested in trying the older methods of agriculture, which were more in harmony with nature at New Pacifica.

"You wouldn't know an edible food sample if you saw it" Uly accused True.

"What?" True considered herself to be older and infinitely wiser than the younger boy, "You're full of crap."

"Yeah?" Uly began to chase after her. She ran, baiting him by screaming,

"You can't even catch me." She tore ahead of him within minutes. After she became fairly confident in her lead, she began to slow down. Uly put on an extra burst of speed and began closing in on her. She quickened her pace only to slide and fall flat on her rear end. Tears welled up in her eyes. Yale hurried to catch up to the children,

"Are you all right child?"

"Yeah, I'm okay" a slightly subdued True replied. "What made me fall?" She noticed that there was a thick layer of ice beneath the area where she had fallen. It was a frozen stream, which the snow had camouflaged. After they brushed off more snow, Uly moved in closer, pushing his face near the icy surface. He shouted,

"There's something moving down there." True gave him a look of disbelief. "There is" he insisted "Look."

Yale became excited "I think we may have found something! I have an idea. Let's go back to the Dome to get some supplies and we'll return here to try it out. This will be our secret which we can share with the others if it works out." The children beamed. They didn't understand what Yale was so pleased about, but they wanted to help and they were thrilled to have their own secret project.

XXXXXXX

Alonzo, Baines and Magus had been exploring sector 16 for over four hours and had not found anything yet. The group was silent, no one was in an especially talkative mood. Alonzo stopped the Dune-Rail so they could perform their next detailed fan-out. They operated mechanically, not optimistic of finding anything.

Magus commented to Alonzo, "You should ask the Terrains where to find food."

He shook his head, "It doesn't always work that way. It's not like a two-way communication. They usually dictate the terms. In my dreams sometimes the Terrians have shown me the location of herds of animals for us to hunt, and other times they have specifically indicated that we were not to touch certain animals. But that's about all they've shared with me regarding food."

"I'm relieved that the Terrians didn't dream to me. It sounds confusing."

Baines called out to the pair, "Hey guys, come here. I think we have Grendler tracks - you game?" Alonzo and Magus exchanged amused glances and proceeded to join him. It was probably a long shot but at least it was something. They began to follow the tracks.

XXXXXXXX

Morgan approached Bess and Denner who were gathering firewood. "Need some help?" he gallantly offered.

"Sure", Bess wondered what had happened as a result of their morning discussion. But she would wait until he was ready. At least he was out of bed.

Morgan feigned nonchalance, "Have either of you two ladies seen Yale?"

"He and the kids ran off somewhere with a bunch of stuff a while ago. They seemed kinda excited. Glad someone can be" Denner complained.

As the group carried the wood into camp, Danziger crawled out from beneath the main generator housing. He announced to the group passing by, "We are back to fully operational." The women cheered.

"That's the best news I've heard all day" Denner claimed.

Yale, Uly and True rushed to meet the group with broad grins on their faces. Uly said to Yale, "Can I tell them?"

"Uly, we agreed that True could be the first to share our news and that you could be the one to tell your Mother" Yale reminded. The boy pouted.

True smirked, "Look what we found" She opened their cargo box and held up a large fish. The box contained several of them.

"Where did you get these?" Danziger asked. Uly and True both rushed to inform the group.

Uly blurted out, "We found a frozen stream and Yale taught us how to go ice fishing."

True butted in, "Yale cut a hole in the ice and made a fishing pole. Then we dug into the ground to find these creepy worms and we caught all these."

Uly added, "There are more too, but Yale said we shouldn't be greedy."

John ruffled his daughter's hair, "I'm proud of you True-girl."

Denner commented, "I wish we could eat them now, but we better get them tested. I volunteer to bring them over to Julia." Since no one objected, she grabbed the carton and practically ran over to the Med Tent.

While a few fish would not even be sufficient for one meal for the seventeen Eden Advance colonists, at least they were able to boost their spirits.

XXXXXXXX

Magus was getting tired. "Come on guys - this trail isn't going anywhere. We've been following it almost an hour." She was discouraged and her feet hurt.

Yet, Baines was determined, "We can't go back empty-handed and this is the best option we've had today. Let's try a little while longer."

"Trying to make amends for locking yourself in the Trans-Rover the other night?" Alonzo teased. "I agree, let's keep moving."

"Only if I can sit and rest a few minutes. Guys, I'm tired" Magus insisted. While searching for a convenient rock to sit on, she noticed something, "Hey, what's over there?"

It was the opening to a small cave. Alonzo motioned for Baines to back him up and Magus would guard the rear. The men cautiously entered the dark chamber. Baines flashed his luma light about the interior. It was small, but there were a few crates.

Alonzo took a closer look, "Eden crew supplies." The two men grinned like maniacs. Baines volunteered to get the Rail while Magus and Alonzo investigated the crates. Alonzo pried open a box, "Let's see what we have here. Hey Magus, look just what you wanted - more semolina - 3 crates worth."

"Solace, even that stuff looks good now. Just as long as it helps us hold out until warmer weather comes."

"What have you found Magus?"

"This one is sealed, but I think it's medical supplies from the code on it."

"Julia will be pleased" Alonzo added.

Magus chuckled, "Look, just after Bess has perfected a native brew, here's real coffee!" They were pleased with their findings and anxious to share them with the others.

XXXXXXX

The last traces of daylight were disappearing as the sun sank into the distant horizon. Alonzo and his party had safely returned to the Bio Dome with the newly found supplies. The Eden Advance crew was hopeful that they could convince Devon to lift their half-rations status. Surely the weather would be warmer by the time all this food was consumed.

Several people were in the Main Dome. Cameron and Walman had taken the ATV out as far as they could to sector 14 then continued on foot. No word had been heard from them yet, and Danziger knew their gear signal wouldn't carry from that location. Eben and Bess were checking the last coordinates that the men had transmitted from. Danziger and Alonzo agreed to wait a little longer before driving out to locate them. It would be awfully cold weather for the men to be stranded in.

Bess was spying on Morgan and Yale who were engaged in a discussion in the communications room. They had been in there for a few hours, intently concentrating on something. She was curious, what were they doing?

Yale projected a map using his holographic arm, and the two men referred to various locations. As she drew closer to attempt to listen in, her husband fiddled with a piece of electronics and an area on their projection emitted a quick pulse. Yale jumped up and exclaimed "I think you've done it!" He clapped Morgan on the back. Both men seemed pleased.

"What did you do honey?"

Beaming with pride, Morgan explained, "I figured out my talent. I used my knowledge of electronics to adjust our detectors to pick up pulses emitted by zeta-particles, then I rewired our detectors to boost their range."

She looked blank, "What does that mean?"

Yale cut in, "The cargo pod transmitters contain zeta-particles which periodically emit those types of pulses. Before today, we only knew approximate locations at best of our other cargo pods. Morgan has determined a way to get a better fix on one, which we believe is located within a hundred miles or so. Judging from the ship's data, I believe its cargo pod #9, which contains food, clothing, medical supplies, and even vehicles. I've got to tell Devon."

Bess embraced her husband, "Morgan, I'm so proud of you."

Feeling brave, Morgan told her, "You might even get me to volunteer to go on the scouting trip."

XXXXXXXXX

Devon was lying in her bed, finally starting to feel human again. Earlier, Uly had charged in, wide-eyed with excitement, to share his fish story with her. She had tried to show him how impressed she was, but she had a little trouble following him.

According to Yale's latest update, the new food stocks would help them stretch their current food supply to last two or three weeks on full rations. The crisis was forestalled, but not over. She was relieved by the news that Cameron and Walman had just safely returned from sector 14, although they hadn't found anything.

Knowledge of the possible location of cargo pod #9 had thrilled her. If they could organize a scouting trip to retrieve it - they would be in good shape. She was anxious to go on the scouting trip, wanting to jump out of bed immediately and plan the trip, but Yale refused to let her leave her room.

She supposed she should apologize to Danziger for her foolish behavior earlier that day, but she didn't like to appear weak in front of others. Especially with John Danziger. Yet, his respect was very important to her. She'd decide what to do in the morning.

XXXXXXX

(voice of Morgan)

It was just another day, but somehow a few fish, some crates of semolina and news of the possible location of a cargo pod were sufficient to boost the Eden Advance crews' morale. While the threat of starvation had not completely passed us over, our spiritual crisis had been momentarily defeated. I was encouraged that I was able to contribute to the group's efforts in locating food sources.

Maybe it was possible to grow and adapt to these hostile surroundings. Maybe each one of us had untapped potential or hidden talents within us that life on this planet would draw out.

Yet, the struggle for survival could foster the development of both positive and negative qualities. We would discover these as we continued our journey.

Maybe I could survive here after all.

THE END

(Thanks to Chris and Alyssa for their assistance.)


End file.
